List of religious populations

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Religious demographics and Religions by country.

Contents 1 Big 4 Religions 2 Adherents.com Estimates 3 Notes 4 By proportion 4.1 Christians 4.2 Muslims 4.3 Buddhists 4.4 Hindus 4.5 Jews 4.6 Bahá'ís 5 By population 5.1 Christians 5.2 Muslims 5.3 Buddhists 5.4 Hindus 5.5 Jews 5.6 Bahá'í 6 Lists by country 7 See also 8 References 9 Sources 10 External links

[edit] Big 4 Religions

World Religions

Big 4 Religions	Adherents	% of World Population	Wikipage
World Population	6.671 billion	Figure used by individual articles
Christianity	1.637 billion - 1.923 billion	24.54% - 28.82%	Christianity by country
Islam	1.450 billion - 1.514 billion	21.74% - 22.70%	Islam by country
Buddhism	489 million - 1.512 billion	7.33% - 22.67%	Buddhism by country
Hinduism	965 million - 971 million	14.47% - 14.55%	Hinduism by country
Total	4.541 billion - 5.920 billion	68.08% - 88.74%

The table above is compiled from the relevant Wikipedia pages listing Religions by Country. Please note that although figures are an approximation there are many sources. Please see individual pages (Linked in Table) for details.

The numbers of adherents to organised religions in the world is difficult to accurately ascertain. Therefore figures and estimates are included from multiple sources to show the reader the problem in compiling such statistics.

[edit] Adherents.com Estimates

Adherents.com says "Sizes shown are approximate estimates, and are here mainly for the purpose of ordering the groups, not providing a definitive number."

Religion	Adherents
Christianity	2.1 billion
Islam	1.5 billion
Secularism/Irreligious/Agnostic/Atheism	1.1 billion
Hinduism	900 million
Chinese traditional religion	394 million
Buddhism	376 million
Primal-indigenous	300 million
African Traditional & Diasporic	100 million
Sikhism	23 million
Juche	19 million
Spiritism	15 million
Judaism	14 million
Bahá'í	7 million
Jainism	4.2 million
Shinto	4 million
Cao Dai	4 million
Zoroastrianism	2.6 million
Tenrikyo	2 million
Neo-Paganism	1 million
Unitarian-Universalism	800 thousand
Rastafarianism	600 thousand
Scientology	500 thousand

[edit] Notes

-Note that these figures may incorporate populations of secular/nominal adherents as well as syncretist worshipers, although the concept of syncretism is disputed by some.

-Note that for Eastern religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto or animism, etc...people often have religions which are a mix of belief systems. This leads to the unusually large uncertainty in the calculations for Buddhism. The lower number of approximately 400 million represents traditional Buddhists (have taken refuge in the Three Jewels, those following all of the precepts of Buddhisim laid down by the Buddha,) whereas the larger number of 1.5 billion includes "natural Buddhists" (as well as secular/nominal Buddhists), lacking specific ceremony, as long as they do not profess belief in another religion. Main article: Buddhism by country.^[1][2]

[edit] By proportion

[edit] Christians

Countries with the greatest proportion of Christians from Christianity by country (as 2007):

1.  Vatican City 100% (Roman Catholic 100%)
2.  San Marino 99% (Roman Catholic 99%)
3.  Armenia 98.7% (mostly Orthodox)
4.  Moldova 98.2% (mostly Eastern Orthodox)
5.  Greece 98% (Orthodox 97.0%, Roman Catholic 1.0%, Muslim 1.3%)
6.  Venezuela [98% (Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%)
7.  Romania 97.5% (Eastern Orthodox 86.7%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, Protestant 3.7%, Pentecostal Denominations 1.5%, Greek Catholic 0.9%)
8.  Bolivia 97% (Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant 16%, other Christian 3%)
9.  Paraguay 96.9% (Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%)
10.  Bahamas 96.3% (Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other 15.2%)
11.  Belarus 96% (mostly Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic)
12.  Ecuador 95% (mostly Roman Catholic)
13.  Seychelles 94.7% (mostly Roman Catholic)
14.  Colombia 94.5% (mostly Roman Catholic 90%)
15.  Grenada 94% (Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2% )
16.  Costa Rica 94% (mostly Roman Catholic)
17.  Argentina 94% (mostly Roman Catholic 92%-less than 20% practicing, Protestant 2%,)
18.  Rwanda 93.6% (Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%)
19.  Puerto Rico 93% (mostly Roman Catholic)
20.  East Timor 93% (mostly Roman Catholic)

[edit] Muslims

Countries with the greatest proportion of Muslims from Islam by country (as of 2007):

1.  Mauritania 99.9% (mostly Sunni)
2.  Somalia 99.9% (mostly Sunni)
3.  Western Sahara 99.8% (mostly Sunni)
4.  Maldives 99.41% (mostly Sunni)
5.  Afghanistan 99% (80% Sunni, 19% Shi'a)
6.  Algeria 99% (mostly Sunni)
7.  Yemen 99% (65-70% Sunni, 30-35% Shi'a)
8.  Morocco 98.7% (mostly Sunni)
9.  Iran 98% (mostly Shi'a)
10.  Tunisia 98% (mostly Sunni)
11.  Comoros 98% (mostly Sunni)
12.  Libya 97% (mostly Sunni)
13.  Iraq 97% (60-65% Shi'a, 32-37% Sunni)
14.  Pakistan 96% (75-80% Sunni, 20-25% Shi'a)
15.  Jordan 95% (mostly Sunni)
16.  Turkey 94% (74% Sunni, 20% Shi'a)
17.  Senegal 94% (mostly Sunni)
18.  Djibouti 94% (mostly Sunni)
19.  Azerbaijan 93.4% (75% Shi'a, 18% Sunni)
20.  Oman 92.66% (mostly Ibadi)

[edit] Buddhists

Countries with the greatest proportion of Buddhists from Buddhism by country (as of 2007):

1.  Laos 98% (mostly Theravada with traditional animist)
2.  Bhutan 97% (mostly Lamaistic, Hindu 2%, other 1%)
3.  Japan 96% (mostly Mahayana with Shinto, Japanese 3%, Christian 0.8%, Muslim 0.1%)
4.  Cambodia 95% (mostly Theravada, Muslim 3%, Christian and other 2%)
5.  Thailand 95% (Theravada, Muslim 4%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.3%)
6.  Mongolia 94% (mostly Tibetan, Muslim 5%, Christian and other 1%)
7.  Taiwan 93% (mostly "Triple religion", Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%)
8.  Hong Kong 90% (mostly "Triple religion", Christian and others 10%)
9.  Myanmar 90% (Theravada with traditional animist, Christian 4%, Muslim 4%, other)
10.  Vietnam 85% ("Triple religion", Christian 8%, Cao Dai 3%, Communist and other 3.5%)
11.  Macau 85% ("Triple religion", Christian 8%, Atheist or other 7%)
12.  China 80% ("Triple religion", Communist/Atheist 12.5%, Christian 4%, Muslim 1.5%)
13.  Sri Lanka 70% (Theravada, Hindu 15%, Christian 7.9%, Muslim 7.1%)
14.  North Korea 64.5% (Mahayana with Confucianist, Communist/Atheist 33.5%, other 2%)
15.  Singapore 61% ("Triple religion", Muslim 14.9%, Christian 14.6%, Hindu 4%, other)
16.  South Korea 50% (Mahayana with Confucianist, Christian 30%, other 1%)
17.  Malaysia 22% (Muslim 60.3%, "Triple religion", Christian 9%, Hindu 6.3%, other 2.4%)
18.  Brunei 14% (Muslim 67%, "Triple religion", Christian 10%, other 9%)
19.  Nepal 11% (Hindu 81%, Tibetian Buddhist, Muslim 4%, other 4%)
20.  French Polynesia 7.5% (mostly Chinese Buddhism)

Remarks: "Triple religion" (or "Chinese-Mahayana Buddhism" or "Far East Asian Buddhism") is the mixture of Mahayana Buddhism, with Taoism and Confucianism. Because officially atheist Communist governments still rule a number of traditionally Buddhist countries, and because Buddhists often practice other traditional East Asian religions, the figures could be much higher in these regions. Mahayana Buddhism in Far East Asian countries has a very wide meaning. That is why in such countries as China, Japan, Vietnam, North and South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, the three religions of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are often all considered at once. This is referred to as a "Triple religion", with Great Buddha in the center, Laozi in the left, and Confucius in the right. In some regions, such as Japan, belief systems vary with differing emphasis on Shintoism, as well as Ancestor Worship. Prayers in throughout these cultures are often concluded with "Namo Amitabha Buddha", which means: "Glory to Buddha Amitabha." As such, the Buddhist population is difficult to gauge exactly, but is considered to be very high. See Buddhism by country for more.

[edit] Hindus

Countries with the greatest proportion of Hindus from Hinduism by country (as of 2007):

1.  Nepal 81%
2.  India 80.5%
3.  Mauritius 50%
4.  Fiji 33%
5.  Guyana 33%
6.  Suriname 27.4%
7.  Trinidad and Tobago 22.5%
8.  United Arab Emirates 21.25%
9.  Sri Lanka 15%
10.  Kuwait 12%
11.  Bangladesh 10.5%
12.  Qatar 7.2%
13.  Réunion 6.7%
14.  Malaysia 6.3%
15.  Bahrain 6.25%
16.  Singapore 4%
17.  Oman 3%
18.  Belize 2.3%
19.  Pakistan 2.02%
20.  Indonesia 2%;  Bhutan 2%;  Seychelles 2%

[edit] Jews

Countries with the greatest proportion of Jews (as of 2007):

1.  Israel 76.2% (Muslim 16.1%, Christian 2.1%)
2.  Palestinian territories 11.09% (Muslim 83.54%, Christian 4.73%)
3.  Monaco 3% (Christian 90%)
4.  United States 2.5% (Christian 78%, Buddhist 2%, Muslim 1%)
5.  Gibraltar 2.1% (Christian 88.3%, Muslim 4%, Hindu 1.8%)
6.  Cayman Islands 1.71% (Christian 77.95%)
7.  Netherlands Antilles 1.3% (Christian 92.3%)
8.  Canada 1.1% (Christian 77.1%, Muslim 2%, Buddhist 1.1%)
9.  France 1% (Christian 83.3%, Muslim 10%, Buddhist 1.2%)
10.  Belarus 1% (Christian 96%)
11.  Argentina 0.8% (Christian 79%, Muslim 1.5%)
12.  Hungary 0.8% (Christian 75%)
13.  Uruguay 0.75% (Christian 65% - 68%, Atheist 30% - 34%)
14.  Russia 0.5% (Christian 78%, Muslim 10 - 14%, Buddhist 1.1% - 1.45%)
15.  United Kingdom 0.5% (Christian 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Buddhist 1.2%, Hindu 1%)
16.  Netherlands 0.3% (Christian 29% - 51%, Atheist 41% - 50%, Muslim 5.5% - 5.8%)
17.  Germany 0.25% (Christian 68%, Non-Religious 25.5%, Muslim 3.9%, Buddhist 1%)
18.  Georgia 0.22% (Christian 88.6%, Muslim 9.9%, Atheist 0.7%)

[edit] Bahá'ís

Countries with the greatest proportion of Bahá'ís (as of 2000):

1.  Nauru 9.22%
2.  Tonga 6.09%
3.  Tuvalu 5.86%
4.  Kiribati 4.70%
5.  Tokelau 4.33%
6.  Cocos (Keeling) Islands 3.72%
7.  Bolivia 3.25%
8.  Falkland Islands 2.98%
9.  Vanuatu 2.78%
10.  Belize 2.73%
11.  Samoa 2.37%
12.  Guyana 2.09%
13.  United Arab Emirates 1.95%
14.  São Tomé and Príncipe 1.88%
15.  Mauritius 1.84%
16.  Zambia 1.70%
17.  Dominica 1.61%
18.  Micronesia 1.61%
19.  Niue 1.53%
20.  Marshall Islands 1.50%

Sources: Year 2000 Estimated Baha'i statistics from: David Barrett, World Christian Encyclopedia, 2000; Total population statistics, mid-2000 from Population Reference Bureau [1] and The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004.

[edit] By population

[edit] Christians

Largest Christian populations (as of 2007):

1.  United States 234,889,159
2.  Brazil 169,109,476
3.  Mexico 103,265,846
4.  Russia 98,964,426
5.  Philippines 84,246,490
6.  France 56,709,186
7.  Germany 56,032,677
8.  Nigeria 54,012,466
9.  China 52,874,076
10.  Italy 50,588,528
11.  Ethiopia 47,131,322
12.  Congo DR 46,026,058
13.  United Kingdom 43,515,786
14.  Colombia 41,938,720
15.  Ukraine 41,669,876
16.  Spain 38,021,300
17.  Argentina 37,883,811
18.  Poland 36,977,511
19.  South Africa 35,066,269
20.  Kenya 28,792,702

[edit] Muslims

Largest Muslim populations (as of 2007):

1.  Indonesia 207,000,105
2.  Pakistan 159,799,666
3.  India 151,402,065
4.  Bangladesh 132,446,365
5.  Egypt 72,301,532
6.  Turkey 70,047,060
7.  Nigeria 67,515,582
8.  Iran 64,089,571
9.  Morocco 33,723,418
10.  Algeria 32,999,884
11.  Afghanistan 31,571,023
12.  Sudan 27,565,551
13.  Iraq 26,674,649
14.  Ethiopia 25,095,899
15.  Saudi Arabia 24,564,924
16.  Uzbekistan 24,446,452
17.  Yemen 22,008,225
18.  China 19,827,778
19.  Russia 19,792,885
20.  Syria 17,383,272

[edit] Buddhists

Largest Buddhist populations (as of 2007):

1.  China 1,057,481,510
2.  Japan 122,336,154
3.  Vietnam 72,473,003
4.  Thailand 61,814,742
5.  Myanmar 42,636,562
6.  South Korea 24,522,395
7.  Taiwan 21,258,751
8.  India 16,947,992
9.  North Korea 15,029,613
10.  Sri Lanka 14,648,421
11.  Cambodia 13,296,109
12.  Laos 6,391,558
13.  Hong Kong 6,282,371
14.  United States 6,022,799
15.  Malaysia 5,460,683
16.  Nepal 3,179,197
17.  Singapore 2,781,888
18.  Mongolia 2,774,679
19.  Indonesia 2,346,940
20.  Philippines 2,276,932

[edit] Hindus

Largest Hindu populations (as of 2007):

1.  India 909,542,254
2.  Nepal 23,410,450
3.  Bangladesh 15,797,076
4.  Indonesia 4,693,880
5.  Pakistan 3,327,787
6.  Sri Lanka 3,138,947
7.  Malaysia 1,563,741
8.  United States 1,204,560
9.  United Arab Emirates 944,352
10.  Mauritius 625,441
11.  United Kingdom 607,762
12.  South Africa 549,973
13.  Kenya 369,137
14.  Tanzania 354,458
15.  Canada 333,901
16.  Fiji 303,163
17.  Kuwait 300,667
18.  Guyana 253,801
19.  Trinidad and Tobago 237,737
20.  Singapore 262,120

[edit] Jews

Largest Jewish populations (as of 2007):

1.  United States 6,214,247
2.  Israel 5,278,274
3.  Russia 753,382
4.  France 636,303
5.  Canada 414,283
6.  United Kingdom 306,876
7.  Germany 210,977
8.  Argentina 202,538
9.  Ukraine 149,602
10.  Australia 94,978
11.  Brazil 93,290
12.  South Africa 88,994
13.  Belarus 67,823
14.  Hungary 60,180
15.  Mexico 54,350
16.  Spain 54,073
17.  Belgium 52,285
18.  Netherlands 32,780
19.  Italy 30,728
20.  Uruguay 30,060

[edit] Bahá'í

Largest Bahá'í populations (as of 2005):

1.  India 1,716,148
2.  United States 753,423
3.  Iran 463,151
4.  Vietnam 356,133
5.  Kenya 308,292
6.  Bolivia 269,246
7.  South Africa 255,775
8.  Philippines 229,522
9.  Congo DR 224,596
10.  Zambia 162,443
11.  Thailand 144,243
12.  Venezuela 141,072
13.  Tanzania 140,593
14.  Malaysia 97,078
15.  Chad 80,683
16.  Myanmar 79,044
17.  Pakistan 78,658
18.  Uganda 66,546
19.  Colombia 64,758
20.  Cameroon 64,286

Source: Year 2000 Estimated Baha'i statistics from: David Barrett, World Christian Encyclopedia, 2000; Total population statistics, mid-2000 from Population Reference Bureau [2]

[edit] Lists by country

• Religions by country
• Buddhism by country
• Hinduism by country
• Islam by country
• Judaism by country or Jewish population
• Roman Catholicism by country
• Protestantism by country
• Christianity by country
• Irreligion by Country

[edit] See also

• World Population
• Religion
• List of religions by age
• Bahá'í statistics

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

• International Religious Freedom Report 2007 of U.S. Department of State
• Background Notes of U.S. Department of State
• The World Factbook of CIA
• Adherents.com
• Religious Freedom page
• Religious Intelligence
• World Statesmen
• BBC News - Muslims in Europe: Country guide
• Vipassana Foundation - Buddhists around the world
• Hierarchy - Statistics of Catholic population by country

[edit] External links

• adherents.com
• Asian-Nation: Religious Affiliation among Asian Americans